"It looks to me like he's kind of waiting for something bad to happen," Leyland said.

Leyland did not say who he will use in Valverde's place, and left open the possibility Valverde could be used in a closer's role later in the postseason.

Octavio Dotel seems the most likely choice to close games in Valverde's place.

Dotel has 109 career saves, but has never had one in the postseason. He's most often considered to be a pitcher who is better when not used in the eighth or ninth innings.

"I would love to know who's going to be the closer," Dotel said before Sunday's game. "All I can say is I'm ready for any situation."

Leyland said he and his staff met late into the night on the Valverde situation. He said pitching coach Jeff Jones has found some flaws in Valverde's delivery, and plans to work with him on them Sunday.

"We're definitely going to need him in some form to get through this postseason," Leyland said.